1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facility or building including many servers, for example, a datacenter. In particular, the present invention relates to a server system, a security improving method of a server and a computer program of such a system and method that can avoid improper operations, for example, a malicious (deliberate) operation or a careless operation on a power button, a reset button, and the like, by a person who is not appropriately authorized, and that can avoid, for example, an improper operation on a power button, a reset button, and the like, by a person who is appropriately authorized.
2. Description of Related Art
As is well known, each of many servers installed in, for example, a datacenter has a power button and a reset button on a front surface, and it is possible to turn off or reset the server by operating such buttons regardless of operation status of the server. However, if an operator of the server carelessly turns off or resets the server, such an operation causes a great amount of damage to clients using the server.
Therefore, in a datacenter or such a facility, a solution in which a locking operation is conducted on each of racks is used to avoid operations on the server by a person who is not authorized. However, in many cases, a locking operation is not conducted on each server mounted on such a rack, and it is not possible to avoid an improper operation in which a power button of the server is turned off by mistake when the rack is opened.
Regarding such a problem, various solutions are proposed in which, for example, a physical lock is provided with regard to each server, and authentication by using IC cards with regard to each server. However, if such solutions are applied to the servers, troublesome management operations are necessary with regard to all of many servers, and there is a demerit of increasing cost because new hardware should be physically provided. In addition, for example, in a case in which an administrator of a physical server and an administrator of a user environment is different, and in a case in which many logical servers are integrally managed by using a virtualized environment, it is difficult for a user to recognize a physical server on which an application software is executed, and there is a problem in which it is not possible to sufficiently conduct a management of physical keys.
Further, a portion of products provides an apparatus in which it is possible to select a mode that prohibits a function of a power button in advance. However, in such an apparatus, when the OS (operating system) does not respond to any commands or requests, there is a problem in which there is no solution other than pulling a power cable to forcibly disconnect the server.
As described above, when a virtualized environment is widely spread, for example, in a datacenter in which many servers are generally installed, it is not a practically acceptable solution to protect a power source of a server by using a lock or IC card. There may be a solution of combining a electric key which can be remote-controlled and software. However, in order to avoid a cost of providing such an electric key, it is desirable if it is possible to avoid an improper operation or malicious operation without using a special and physical solution.